Bronze

The beauty and durability of bronze are unsurpassable, and have been qualities appreciated throughout history. Bronzes created thousands of years BCE have survived the corruption of nature and man. If one wishes a work of art to permanence, bronze is preferable to other sculpture media.

The rich colors of bronze, a metal alloy of copper and tin, fall within neutrals with hints of yellow and orange. Time naturally ages bronze with moisture and oxygen to give it a patina, a thin film of corrosion that can take on a myriad of beautiful colors ranging in greens and blues.

My first step in creating a bronze is modeling the original sculpture in oil-based clay, after which a succession of molds and casts are made; the last mold is fire-proof for casting the molten bronze. This process is known as the cire perdue (French), or lost-wax, casting method, and has been the system used for thousands of years, dating back to the Bronze Age around the time when humanity was first inventing many other useful things, such as written language and the potter’s wheel. The biblical artist and craftsman Bezalel, whom was placed in charge of the decoration and handicraft of the Tabernacle during Moses’ time, together with his workmen would have used the cire perdue casting method for some of their metalwork.

My inspirations for bronze sculpture are Camille Claudel, Auguste Rodin, Frederick Hart, Clay Enoch, and Sam Gore. Concerning figurative sculpture in general I especially appreciate the compositions and drama of Hellenistic Greek art, the verism of Roman portraiture, and the emotion of Italian Baroque art.